I created this blog to share our story and raise awareness about what it is like to be the parent of children who live with food allergies.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Castle Cakes

For most kids, it is a quick run to Kroger to pick up any food items needed for school. ...That is, of course, unless they are making castle cakes and your child has a laundry list of food allergies. We average $300 a week in groceries as it is because Cameron's food is so specialized and have to shop at two different grocery stores (one across town) every week. Castle cake ingredients bump that up another $40 and add a third specialty store. It was on the monthly activity calendar for school, so it is my own fault I didn't ask what the project was earlier than I did. Fact of the matter is, I asked when I picked the kids up the night before the project. Ingredients were simple enough, but finding ice cream cones that look like surgar cones without wheat is challenging. Finding candy topping without carmel color (may contain milk) is also tricky. Modified food starch may have wheat. You get the point.

All in all we are quite lucky there are as many products on the market that there are today for food allergic children. So, believe me, I am very thankful. That said, I still hate last minute driving across town to find everything I need to help ensure my child doesn't feel excluded or different from the other kdis. Even more, not crazy about being up later than 10 PM, so baking a specialty cake at 11 PM isn't top on my list of things I love to do, but I love my child and must fight this fight with him. Tonight it was meatloaf. They are having it for lunch at school tomorrow, so I needed to make a special one for him. After cleaning up the kitchen, and drooling over the thought of sitting on the couch for a few minutes, it dawned on me... I forgot he needs mashed potatoes too. SH*T!!